To Live Free
by Day Dreamer Night Lover
Summary: Made a fool of, she lets her instincts dictate where she will go to escape the trappings of her life. Amidst a killer alcohol buzz and smoky interior of the local bar, she finds a blast from her past that takes her on the ride of her life, only she has no idea where that ride will really take her or the version of herself that will emerge because of it. -BETA BY ROCkER JACkSON-
1. Chapter 1

**Note: **  
**Jason and Elizabeth aren't friends. The last time they saw each other was when he dropped her home the night he saved her at Jake's. Everything else will be explained as the story goes.**

***Disclaim anything you recognize*  
song: Avril Lavigne: My Happy Ending**

_So much for my happy ending_  
_Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh..._

There's a darkness looming over her, a cloud of heartache and sadness. If it weren't her life, she'd find the entire situation laughable. She'd call a girls' night out with her best friend and they'd joke about how pathetic that person's life was - falling for the age old trick of a faux beau. Of course, the situation was more complicated than that, but still - her love life right now can very well be turned into a sappy country love song.

_Let's talk this over  
It's not like we're dead  
Was it something I did?  
Was it something You said?_

Stupid Avril Lavigne and her stupid lyrics that match up perfectly to her own life. Stupid car radio that is pathetically broken and stuck on one channel - forbidding her from changing it to a different station or song. And stupid her for cursing at a song that has no control over her life and still hating it for inadvertently mocking her. Because, believe it or not, the song was indeed mocking her.

_Don't leave me hanging  
In a city so dead  
Held up so high  
On such a breakable thread_

If she was being honest with herself, she'd admit that she brought this upon herself. She knew there was something wrong with him the moment he returned, but everyone else had convinced her he was fine. Then the wretched witch Cassadine took away his love for her and everything had gotten that much worse.

Yet again they convinced her that they could get past it. That - if she stuck with him - they'd find their way back to the love they shared. And stupid her, she listened, she allowed those around her to plague her mind. To ignore her instincts and to stay in love with a man that clearly didn't love her anymore.

_You were all the things I thought I knew_  
_And I thought we could be_

She should have seen the signs, she should have listened to her gut instincts, maybe then she wouldn't be married to a man that didn't love her. Unbreakable lock, HA!, more like imaginary lock. She hates him for making her believe in him. She hates him for making a fool out of her by sleeping with her sister. But mostly, she hates him for making her fall in love with him, knowing that he didn't feel the same - not even close.

_You were everything, everything that I wanted_  
_We were meant to be, supposed to be, but we lost it_  
_And all of the memories, so close to me, just fade away_  
_All this time you were pretending_  
_So much for my happy ending_  
_Oh oh, oh oh, oh oh..._

Stupid Avril Lavigne song, how she wishes she could just shut it off, but for some godforsaken reason she couldn't bring herself to do it. She drives through the darkness in search of the one place that will help her drown away all the pain and sorrow she felt. Sure, she's not twenty-one, but no one needs to know that. If she was old enough to be married, she's old enough to drink a damn shot of tequila - or twenty - hell, even the damn bottle.

_You've got your dumb friends_  
_I know what they say_  
_They tell you I'm difficult_  
_But so are they_  
_But they don't know me_  
_Do they even know you?_  
_All the things you hide from me_  
_All the shit that you do _

Parking in the musky, filthy parking lot of the local bar, she gets out of her car and saunters into the ratty establishment. The universe must hate her because Avirl Lavigne's stupid song is playing on the jukebox when she walks into the establishment - right where she cut it off in the car when she shut off the engine. Stupid music. Stupid marriage vows. Stupid permanent lock.

"Shot glass and a bottle of tequila." she pretty much demands from the bartender, thankful that the owner was nowhere to be seen. "I'm not getting any younger."

The bartender eyes her for a moment before handing her the items she demanded for. With a mocking smirk, she takes the items before tossing the amount he requests for onto the bar and walking to sit at the end of the bar. She wanted to drown herself in alcohol, retire to one of the apartments upstairs and forget about her broken marriage and pathetic life.

_It's nice to know that you were there_  
_Thanks for acting like you cared_  
_And making me feel like I was the only one_  
_It's nice to know we had it all_  
_Thanks for watching as I fall_  
_And letting me know we were done_

She curses his name as she downs shot after shot. The higher the count of shots she's taken gets, the less she thinks of that pathetic husband of hers that's waiting at her house. As if she would forgive him for committing adultry. For voicing vows full of lies. He's as delusional as she had been on their wedding day.

Just then the door to the bar opens up and in walks the perfect distraction from her pathetically tattered life. She has seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't particularly place it - of course the alcohol could factor into that. She probably wouldn't recognize her face if she looked in the mirror by now.

She watches him as he walks over to the vacant pool table, racking the balls up with ease. It was obvious that he has played the game before - she'd bet he has even perfected it. His form is impeccable and she finds herself drawn into his allure. Standing six feet tall, muscles bulging out in all the right places, completely in control of his every movement, flowing almost gracefully so. The leather jacket, solid grey t-shirt and blue denim jeans lend mystery to his enticement.

Looking at him, she can tell he lived by no one's rules. Just the way he carries himself, the way people gave him a wide berth when walking to the bathroom, not even coming near the pool table in any way. That kind of had her wanting to be the one to cross that barrier. To see just what shade of blue fills his eyes and the sound of her name moaned from his lips.

"Ah, hell." she mutters, turning back to face the bar - she blinked once and he was no longer there. Stupid need to blink.

Just as she downs another shot, a warm presence is felt taking a seat on the stool beside her. She chances a sideways glance, daring to hope that it would be him beside her, smirking inwardly when she sees him there. He signals for the bartender, taking the bottle of beer from him and downing it swiftly. Once he does, he turns in his seat, eyeing her intently before he finally speaks.

"I didn't think I'd see you here again." he voices, looking at her intently, making her realize she must know him from somewhere. "Last I heard you were married."

"Still am." she says, deciding that she'd figure it out sooner or later. "But not for long."

"So you came here to not feel again?" his voice implies a memory she should know about, but still she draws a blank. "It didn't work last time, why do it again?"

"I don't know." she answers honestly, a foggy memory whispering to her from the back of her mind. "Maybe I had nowhere else to go."

"Just like last time." he says, eyeing her in a way that makes her wish she could remember him through her buzzed haze. "Would you like to go for a ride?"

She looks at him curiously, wondering if she'd remember by going with him for whatever ride he was referring to. After pondering it, she takes hold of the hand he's holding out to her and just like that she's leaving the bar with him. A familiar stranger, but still a stranger - making her feel like an idiot on top of everything else she's feeling. Yet regardless of all that, Elizabeth follows him out of the bar and into the parking lot.

"_I want to show you how I get away._" a voice echoes in her mind as he guides her to a motorcycle in the back alley - a blurry version of his face in her mind.

"Why do I have a strange feeling we've done this before?" she asks, taking the helmet from his hands.

"Because we have." he says simply, straddling the bike. "You sober enough to hang on?"

"Yeah." she assures, straddling the bike once she strapped on the helmet. "Where are we going?"

"Nowhere."

**Read. Enjoy. Review. Thanks.**


	2. Chapter 2

The wind blowing past them as he drove faster and faster into the night had all her thoughts dissipating before they could form into something coherent in her mind. The farther they drove, she found herself becoming more and more sober, not exactly a good thing, but she accepted it.

He felt her relaxing against him, knowing that the alcohol was wearing off and she'd be sober enough to drive herself home soon. A part of him wondered what had her drowning in alcohol, but he wouldn't question her about it. It was obvious that she was drinking to kill the memories and he didn't want to be the one to drudge them up.

The sun is starting to rise over the horizon and she found herself feeling relaxed to the point of tranquillity. Closing her eyes, she finds that she remembers the feeling coursing through her - it was the one she has craved for so long. A part of her wondering how she could have forgotten the only place she ever felt it. More importantly, the only person that ever showed her that nowhere could feel very satisfying.

Too soon for her liking, even though they've been riding for hours, they are pulling into the parking lot of the local bar. As the engine shuts off and she spots her car, her life falls back on her shoulders like the weight of the world. Every part of her just wants to get back on his bike and ride till they run out of gas.

"Sober yet?" he asks, securing the helmet on his bike.

"Unfortunately." she replies, wondering where she'd be heading from here. "I wish I could stay in a drunken blur until I have my marriage annulled."

"It doesn't help." he advises. "Trust me."

"Its better than going home and facing the impending end of my marriage." she sighs, wishing someone would shoot her. "Maybe I can get arrested...know any decent misdemeanors I can pull off?"

"How about you stay at my place until you're ready to face your life?" he suggests, a little surprised once the words escape his lips.

"As tempting as that sounds, I think I've taken up enough of your time."

"Come on." he slips his hand into hers, not bothering to talk her into it and just guiding her up to his apartment.

She follows him without retort, mostly because she didn't have much fight in her anymore. This was better than going home to her lying, cheating, douchebag of a husband. They walk into the bar from the back alley, making their way up the stairs and into his apartment. It was a little neater than she had imagined it to be. The bar downstairs not lending any hope for a decent apartment, so she's pleasantly surprised with his place.

"I know its not much..."

"No. Its perfect." she assures, looking around the room. "Simple and understated. I like it."

"Okay." he tosses his keys on the desk. "Make yourself at home."

He walks off to the bathroom, wanting to make sure that it wasn't too messy while she looks around the room. There wasn't much of anything in that place, it was like he didn't even live there. With a slight smile, she turns down the bed, kicking off her heels before getting in bed and snuggling into the covers.

"I have to head to work, but you can..." he stops talking when he sees her asleep in his bed.

There was a part of him that realizes he could get used to seeing her there, but knowing he shouldn't get attached. He couldn't get attached again, not after what happened with the last woman he trusted. With a slight smile, he covers her up to her shoulders before grabbing his keys and leaving the room. She'll be fine there alone seeing as no one was stupid enough to enter his apartment uninvited.

"You're late." his boss/friend, Sonny, comments, eyeing him curiously. "Where were you?"

"With a friend."

"You don't have friends." Sonny counters, chuckling when he nudges him. "Seriously, where were you?"

"I have friends."

"Name one." Sonny challenges. "Besides me and Carly."

"Bobbie."

"So you were with Bobbie?"

"I didn't say that." he corrects with a smirk. "Don't we have shipments to go over?"

She wakes up hours later, feeling the most content she's felt in such a long time. As she sits up in bed, the night comes back to her in full force. Aside from the major hangover that she's suffering through, she remembers a certain leather jacket wearing, hunk of a man, who coincidently happens to be her best friend's older brother.

Jason Morgan. A part of her felt kind of embarrassed for the thoughts that she had been thinking while in her little drunken haze. Thankfully she didn't act on any of them because she'd never be able to look him in the eye, much less be anywhere near him in the light of day.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she realizes that she couldn't hide from her life anymore. She has to head home for a change of clothes before she starts her shift at Kelly's and it'll be too much to hope that he wouldn't be there. She highly doubts that he's anywhere but their house.

"No time like the present." she mutters to herself, sliding her feet into her heels and standing up out of bed.

She's about to walk out the door when she notices a business card taped to the door. Peeling the tape off, she reads the car and smiles slightly when she notices its a business card for a lawyer. Flipping it over, she sees a small note written on the back of it.

"Alexis is the best lawyer, she'll take care of you. Give her a call." she reads off the card, shaking her head before tucking the card into her pocket - it couldn't hurt.

She pulls open the door, taking one last look at the apartment she had been in before walking out and heading to her car. With his small gesture in suggesting a lawyer for her, she felt like she could really do it. That she could really file for an annulment and put her pathetic faux marriage behind her.

Closing the door, she walks the distance to her car and gets in. Starting it up, she smiles slightly at the song that starts playing on the radio. _Kelly Clarkson's Stronger_. Blasting the song as loud as it can get, she pulls out of the parking lot and heads to her house that's no longer her home.

"Elizabeth..."

"Save it, Lucky." she snaps, closing the door behind her before walking in the direction of their bedroom.

"Can't we at least talk?" he pleads, hating what he has done to her.

"No. We can't!" she slams the door in his face, walking over to the closet to get her luggage.

"Liz, please." he pleads, standing in the doorway. "I never wanted to hurt you."

"Yet that's all you do." she counters, throwing her clothes into the luggage. "And I'm the fool for believing you each time...well, no more. I'm done being the idiot wife that can't see the truth."

"Don't blame yourself..."

"Oh, trust me, I'm not." she states, zipping up her luggage and pushing him aside. "The last thing I'm going to do is blame myself for you lying to me."

"I'm sorry." he blurts out, trying to stop her from leaving. "I wish I knew the right words to say to fix this, but I don't."

"Even if you did, your words mean nothing to me." she says, fighting off the tears that are threatening to form. "With any luck, I'm going to file for an annulment and it'll be as if this marriage never happened."

"Elizabeth, please...I'm sorry."

"Be sorry." she says firmly, opening the door before tossing her key to the place on the floor. "Its the least you deserve. Goodbye."

She walks out of their house, getting back into her car once she's loaded her luggage into her trunk. Listening to_ I Will Survive_, she drives to work to face her shift that is bound to be painstakingly long. Her only refuge was the appointment that she set with Jason's lawyer for the end of her shift.

"Ms. Webber?" a voice speaks from in front of her.

"That's me." she says as she tosses the apron into the box.

"Hi, I'm Alexis Davis, we spoke on the phone earlier." the lawyer says as she shakes her hand. "I have your annulment papers right here. It would have been faster, but I had a hearing across town."

"Um, I scheduled an appointment to see if you'd take on my case." Elizabeth looks at her curiously as she lays the annulment packet in front of her. "I didn't think you'd have the paperwork done already."

"From what you said, you want this done as fast and clean as possible, right?" Alexis asks, closing her suitcase. "I figured there's no time like the present."

"I know...this was just faster than I had anticipated." Elizabeth takes the packet into her hands. "Thank you. How much will this cost me though?"

"Don't worry about that." Alexis waves away her concern. "I'm doing this pro brono. After what you said, its my pleasure to do this free of charge."

"Thanks, I guess." Elizabeth slides into her jacket. "So I just sign this and give them to my husband to sign?"

"No. You fill it out and then give it back to me." Alexis corrects. "I'll have them delivered to your soon to be non-husband. No need for to deal with an uncomfortable encounter."

"Are you always this helpful with your clients?"

"Only when the circumstances warrant it." Alexis assures, smiling politely. "Get those back to me tomorrow and I'll have them delivered immediately after."

Thanking the lawyer once moire, she heads to her studio and locks herself inside. After tossing her things to one side, she sits with her annulment papers in front of her, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed. From a young age, she always believed she'd only get married once. That she'd only get married when she was absolutely certain it would last forever. Shows how naive and stupid she had been.

"I can't do this." she mutters, snatching the packet and walking out of her studio.

She walked through the town, annulment packet in one hand as she tried to catch her breath. She signs it and that's it. She'll be done with Lucky and her marriage. With a sigh, she continues to walk aimlessly, not really sure where she should go.

Soon enough, she looks up and finds that she's outside of the local bar. Going off of chance, she walks into the bar, up the stairs to his apartment, and knocks on the door. In that moment she holds her breath, hoping that he's there and also that he's not.

"Hey." he greets her, relief rushing over her that he's home. "You okay?"

"Your lawyer really is good." she says, holding up the annulment packet. "She delivered these to me after my shift."

"You don't have to sign it if you're not ready."

"Its not that." Elizabeth takes a deep breath. "Its a little overwhelming and I was hoping you could stay with me while I signed them."

"Sure." he steps aside, allowing her access to his apartment. "I can do that."

Taking another deep breath, she walks past him into the apartment, a sense of courage overcoming her once she's inside. As he closes the door, she walks over and sits at the desk, laying out the annulment papers once again. She waits for him as he gets a couple bottles of water before taking a seat next to her.

Once he's seated next to her, she uncovers the pen and begins to fill out the packet, glancing at him every now and then when her hand freezes over the lines. This is what she wants. To have her marriage erased and to start off new. And with Jason's presence as a brace, she fills it out and seals it. Soon her marriage will be made as if it never happened and she'll be a free woman again.

After that one night with Jason, being free didn't look so bad.

**Read. Enjoy. Review. Thanks.**


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